Thursday, February 24, 2011

So I got curious one drunken evening (last night, STFU im on staycation) and went to google and typed in "Ingrid Camacho Facebook"..... I just wanted to see what would happen!!! Expecting to self implode or start bleeding profusely out of my orifices I braced myself only to find THIS:

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Friday, February 18, 2011

Doing my Feb Of Love research, I came across an interesting article that spoke about Prarie Voles. A Neuroendrochrenologist named Sue Carter studied these animals curious as to why the Prarie Voles stayed monogamously attached for life after mating.

"Less than 5% of mammals show monogamous bi-parental behaviors"

As it turns out the Monogamous Voles have Oxytocin receptors that also overlap with Dopamine receptors in the "rewards" part of their brain also known as the Nucleus Accumbens. As we already know, the dopamine released in our brains when having sex is what excites us and makes us want more of it, and Oxytocin is what allows us to form bonds. So, the monogamous Prarie Voles are basically wired to find monogamy pleasurable. Their very similar yet promiscuous counterparts (the Montane Voles) have oxytocin receptors located elsewhere in the brain, so they form no attachment when they mate.

"Like those of the Prarie Voles, human oxytocin receptors are located in several dopamine rich regions of the brain , suggesting that oxytocin is embedded in our rewards circutry."

During sex, the female releases many chemicals one of which is oxytocin. The estrogen in women increases the effects of the oxytocin, resulting in more emotional attachments to situations like sexual intercourse, childbirth and breastfeeding. Basically, the way this chemical reacts in women's brains is one of the things that distinguish us from males. Mens brains release the same chemical, but the testosterone counterbalances the effects of the oxytocin, and allows men not to become highly attached in certain situations.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

When I think of the words Love Canal I can’t help but imagine a ride at an amusement park. ( I know you boys are thinking something ELSE) You and your date carefully climb into a little wooden boat and slowly drift through the ever-romantic Love Canal. You look into each others eyes, hand in hand, and at that moment you realize you have fallen in love. Unfortunately, we have to put all preconceptions aside for this story, because there is nothing romantic about it.

Sometime around the 1890s in Buffalo New York, William T. Love had a dream to build a “hydroelectric channel” through Niagara Falls. He also wanted to build a little city with schools and homes and parks around Lake Ontario. Unfortunately, all this wholesome dream left was a 50 foot wide and 1 mile long pit where part of the canal was to be.

Around the 1920s, local kids used the pit as a swimming hole and in the summer and as a skating rink in the winter. However, in the 1940’s the U.S. Army began offloading hazardous waste left over from World War Two and the Manhattan Project. Eventually a company called Hooker Chemical purchased it, and between 1942 and 1953 Hooker used this site to bury 22,000 tons of chemical waste barrels. Eventually the ditch was full, so they threw some dirt on it and grass grew over the dumpsite. To the naked eye this was just a field, no one would have imagined the disaster that waited beneath.

Needing more space for kids, the Niagara Falls School Board asked Hooker Chemicals if they could purchase the land. After a carefully constructed deed Hooker sold it for $1.00 to the Niagara Falls School Board. The deed specifically stated that the land should not be used for building, and that they would not be held responsible for any health problems caused by the toxic waste buried only 25 feet from the surface.

The school was built anyway, and it was only a matter of time before kids began complaining about burning rashes and unexplainable allergies. Babies in the area were born with deformities, adult were getting sick, mothers having miscarriages, and stillborn babies. The toxic waste even began seeping in through their basement walls in the form of a sort of black sludge. Apparently in the 1970s there was a period of heavy rains, which brought all the toxic waste up to the surface. It was even said that at one point the ground collapsed exposing the toxic filled barrels. The ditch filled with rain-water, and the local kids enjoyed playing in it. A parents worse nightmare, their children were being born with tremendous health problems and deformities.

“Baby Sheri Schroeder was born with an irregular heart beat and a hole in the heart wall, nasal bone blockages, partial deafness, deformed ears and a cleft palate. As she grew, her family realized she was mentally retarded. Her teeth arrived in a double row on her lower jaw, and she suffered from an enlarged liver.” – Wired.com

There was nothing done about this till 1978, when it was declared one of the worse environmental disasters in United States History. The school was shut down and the area of Niagara Falls was evacuated. It cost 250 Million dollars to clean that mess up.

William T Love had a vision, to create a town that would grow and flourish, he had a vision for a town where kids could play without the threat of being burned by the toxic chemicals lurking beneath the surface. (During William T. Loves time, these chemical compounds didn’t exist) Not only did he never realize his dream, but the remnants of his project goes down in history as one of the worse environmental disasters. Poor dude.

The really frightening part is that this didn't take place THAT long ago.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Saturday, February 12, 2011

"Valentine's Day is around the corner and I'm already super depressed. I am single and have been valentine-less for four years now. I just want to crawl under the covers and pretend like this day doesn't exist. I'm a total romantic at heart and I don't know how to not get down around this holiday, any suggestions?"- Valentine-less, 28, Atlanta

If any of my readers currently feel this way please go to your kitchens right now, grab your sharpest knife, and stab yourself in the foot. Hard.

Dear Valentine-less,

My suggestion, get a hobby, an unhealthy drinking habit and some gay friends.

Love: Ing.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not having someone on Valentine's Day. I asked a gay man to be MY Valentine :::waves and winks at Henry::::: Needless to say, the chances of me having a magical, romantic, sex-filled, Valentine's Day is not "slim to none".... it's basically NONE.

Valentine's Day Suicide Party? Depressed chicks in Georgia!? Pu-leeeze....if you're going to feel bad for yourself why specifically feel bad on Feb 14th? Do it EVERY DAY, like the rest of us, but dont feel bad for yourself because you're alone. Feel bad for more important things like, not doing more to help Darfur or whatever the fuck. This Valentine's Day, I want you all to celebrate love, not romantic love. Love for the people and things that make you happy in life.

A man who tried to organize a Valentine's Day mass suicide has been sentenced to up to 20 years in a state mental hospital.Gerald Krein Jr., 27, had been charged with solicitation to commit murder after allegedly forming a Yahoo chat room to organize "Suicide Party 2005," asking women to hang themselves naked on Valentine's Day.

Krein was arrested Feb. 9, 2005, and was taken to a state hospital in October after a psychiatrist determined he suffered from "a myriad of mental health disorders."

Prosecutor Ed Caleb said Krein could be released early. "He will stay there until they are convinced he is no longer a threat to the community," Caleb said Tuesday.A woman concerned that children might be harmed alerted authorities to the suicide plot. Detectives found six women who expressed interest, including a few who were mothers, but they denied planning to murder their children.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

So...I'm pretty sure I disappointed Helen Fisher today, which SUCKS because I think she's so cool. Helen, if you're reading this I just want to say thank you for your observations. One of the things Helen pointed out (which I completely overlooked) is that love is one thing....relationships, marriage and kids are another. While the prospect of being married and having a family has steadily become kind of scary to me (I guess with the right person it might sound more delightful?) love, and being in love, is a beautiful thing. No matter how painful it is sometimes, having the cognitive abilities to feel love when you look at some one is a gift (people with damage to their amygdale cannot feel certain emotions). Also, what our brains go through when we experience love and loss is very interesting.

I remember lying in bed a year ago, heartbroken, listening to Helens talk at the Ted Conference. I felt enlightened by a better understanding of what was happening chemically in my brain at that particular moment. When you're in love the "rewards" portion of the brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is similar to adrenaline, and is what allows you to feel that "high on life" "kick up your heels" feeling of being in love. As Helen points out, the same part of the brain is active in a person who has taken cocaine. So it is no surprise that when we are rejected, we become obsessive, thinking about this person more than half the day and trying to figure out ways to get them back. In "The Anatomy of Love" Helen points out that the name for what you go through when you are rejected by someone you love and feeling this way is called limerence. (This term was coined by Dorothy Tennov in the 1970's) So, it's safe to assume that if being in love is like a drug, being limerent is like the really horrible withdrawal symptoms. So for you addicts out there just remember, kicking the habit takes time.

Click on the links above to read more on Limerence and to listen to Helens talk at the Ted Conference.

Monday, February 7, 2011

"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love" - Albert Einstein

Albert and Mileva met, got married, and had kids, just like any young couple in the 1900's. Mileva gave up her dream of becoming a scientist so that she could take care of the kids and be with Albert. She had faith in her husband and knew he would be a success, she stood by him in hopes of making a great life together. Of course Albert's career took off, but unfortunately their marriage suffered. He moved his family around a few times because of his work, and eventually Albert found another lover named Elsa , who was also his cousin. Mileva stayed with him for a bit after that, but eventually she took the kids and left...hoping Albert would come back to her. He ended up moving in with Elsa and finished the Theory of Relativity.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

More romantic street art, this time by an artist named Jon Jackson. In his 5 billboard series called "Adios LA" he breaks things off with the city of Los Angeles. What a romantic way to bid Adieu to a city you love, but need to part with.

My, all this reading, thinking, writing and Googling I've been doing on the subject of love has got me drinking like a recently divorced 50 year old. I doubt my liver will make it to the end of February. I even went as far as posting THIS on "wewholaugh.blogspot.com". Talk about "not wanting to expose the fresh scars of cupids arrows"... yea right, Ingrid. I really wanted to do this month long "Ode to Love" in hopes of finding something to give me a new outlook on the subjects of love and marriage. We still have 3 more weeks, and I'm hopeful!

Either way...you should all know that I have recently converted and now my drink of choice is no longer "Cuba Libres" (otherwise known by its American name "Rum n Coke") I now drink Cranberry and Vodka. Kinda girly, I know, but when comparing the two: Run n Coke has about 230 calories whereas Cranberry and Vodka only has 170. I'm not getting any younger , and a girl has to watch her figure. Also, when I drink it I can lower my voice and devilishly say "I'm drinking the blood of a NEWBOOOORN! MOHAHHAHA" You know, because its redish in color....:::::blank stare:::::

Friday, February 4, 2011

Submitted by an "attorney/human cartoon/commenter" named "Joshua", although this song has nothing to do with LOVE it is being posted on here because he "LOVES" this song.... that has to count for something, right? <3

Please enjoy, Nouvelle Vauges cover of The Cramps - Human Fly. I'm pretty sure the cramps were also covering this song but I'm too lazy to find out who the original is by.

I love her, I love her, I love her, I fu-cking love Dorothy Parker! This is a poem by Dorothy Parker a beautiful, strong, witty, romantic, amazing, poet who I admire for her candor and her dark sense of humour. She has written so many poems that have either left me laughing out loud by myself or sorrowfully nodding my head, thinking about how shitty love is. This is one of a few poems I will be posting by the lovely Dorothy Parker. I hope you enjoy!

Symptom Recital

I do not like my state of mind;
I'm bitter, querulous, unkind.
I hate my legs, I hate my hands,
I do not yearn for lovelier lands.
I dread the dawn's recurrent light;
I hate to go to bed at night.
I snoot at simple, earnest folk.
I cannot take the gentlest joke.
I find no peace in paint or type.
My world is but a lot of tripe.
I'm disillusioned, empty-breasted.
For what I think, I'd be arrested.
I am not sick, I am not well.
My quondam dreams are shot to hell.
My soul is crushed, my spirit sore;
I do not like me any more.
I cavil, quarrel, grumble, grouse.
I ponder on the narrow house.
I shudder at the thought of men....
I'm due to fall in love again.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

You can create the PERFECT kiss on this website by picking two partners posing, dressing them, and even adding annotations for a more scientific explanation of the kiss. I made mine straight to the point....this is what my perfect kiss looks like, eyepatch and all <3

Go make your own! HERE and send it to that special someone that you cant wait to kiss!

Thanks again to Ana for submitting this website to FEBRUARY OF LOVE @ ing-yo-face!

Saudi Officials See Red Over Valentine's Day

'IMMORAL' HOLIDAY SPARKS TEMPORARY BAN ON COLOR

NEWSER) – In preparation for Valentine's Day, Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned all things red. The morality cops are out in force in search of the color of love, reports CNN, with plans to confiscate everything from flowers to stuffed toys. The ban is part of a yearly effort, complete with raids on retailers on the night of Feb. 13, to quell romance's big day.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration, especially one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women," said a Saudi religious scholar. For the desperate, black-market red roses are available—at six times the normal price. "Sometimes we deliver the bouquets in the middle of the night or early morning, to avoid suspicion," said a florist.

I found it suitable to write about Eddie on the first day of "February of Love" because Eddie is the first boy who I ever felt those kind of feelings for . I was 13 and he was 15, he was a Gemini like me, he had beautiful green eyes and this amazing confidence which I admired so much. When we first met we were watching "Faces of Death" with a few of our friends. At that time (for some bizarre reason) I really loved cows, and Eddie knew this. There was a REALLY graphic scene showing some kind of guillotine machine that chopped cows in two, making their intestines pour out like spagetti! When this scene came on I let out a disturbed gasp. Eddie looked over at me, placed his hands over my eyes, and held me. Even a 13 year old me could appreciate that sweet gesture. From that moment on I would love that boy for the rest of my life. I kissed Eddie for the first time that day; Who knew Faces of Death and guillotines could be so romantic. Ha.

Sadly, Eddie was also the first boy to introduce me to the cruel dark world of rejection. Some of you have known me long enough to remember this ordeal. Since he was older than me, Eddie started hanging out with the "cool kids" and it was only a matter of time before he decided to date the "older" "cooler" chicks. Of course, when these girls broke his heart he always came back to me. I was his "constant", while all the other girls came and went I was always there, which made me feel that we had something special (that didn't involve sex). This back and forth hurt me more than you could imagine, but I felt that my patience and loyalty would pay off eventually. Here is the really sad part ….. it never did. He ended up losing his virginity to some "older" "cooler" chick in the bathroom of a park. That Bitch.

Eddie ended up moving away when I was 16, It took me 2 years to get over him leaving.You never forget your first love, no matter how horrifying the experience was. I still wonder what he's up to and think of him every year on his birthday. Recently , through the wonders of Facebook we have reconnected.... he tells me that I have been in his thoughts these past 9 years as well, and would LOVE to see me! We're making plans to meet over coffee and rekindle our undying childhood love!

Nah. I made that last part up.....wouldn't that be CUTE, though!? Yeeeaa.....